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Arms & Armor Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the 15th Century on the Lngsword, Falchion, Dagger, and Wrestling by Gregorz Zabinski, with Bartlomiej Walczak $54.95 / Paladin Press / 2002 Once considered an unrefined form of combat, medieval martial arts have attracted renewed interest as scholars continue to rescue important historical documents from obscurity. Codex Wallerstein falls into this category, adding significant knowledge and understanding to this growing field. Working with microfilm reproductions obtained from an original manuscript preserved at Augsburg University, Zabinski and Walczak have crafted a faithful reconstruction of a 15th-century fencing manual. Part A is written in Middle High German, followed by modern German and English translations, each plate accompanied by an illustration. These attacks and counterattacks are presented using an "Ifthen" format, but since there is only one drawing per technique, they often do little to illuminate the dynamics of the corresponding explanation, and are thus open to interpretation. Part B is comprised of combat scenes both with and without armor, but offers neither commentary nor analysis. For all its seriousness, however, the Codex contains moments of grim humor, as when it discusses the proper way of robbing a peasant. There are also several dubious methods for capturing and detaining multiple adversaries. Yet for the most part, the strategies are sound and well thought out. Without a full rendering of the moves leading up to these finishing techniques, the Codex falls short of being considered a complete training manual. But the book does provide convincing evidence that medieval fighters were aware of the subtleties of self defense, which makes this volume a fine reference work. —Charles Matza

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